Never ending campeign vs Final Objectives

[Filsinger]

I am a complete and utter newb to planetside and only started reading about the game until last night. I have been VERY loosely following the game, but there has something that has come to my attention that I would like to see debated here and see what your guyz thoughts are about it. I'm sure this has been brought here before but i didnt see a thread so i thought i would start one.

The two sides are a never ending battle and a game that can be "won".

The background from what I understand it is as follows:

Currently Planetside is set in a persistant world in which there are small objectives of capturing buildings/land but in the end there is no "winner" as it is set to go back and forth litterally forever.

My problem with this is having no end objective this kind of makes any victory you get no matter how big kind of futile cause you are probably bound to loose it sometime. In my opinion this will somewhat kill replayability for me and many others.

To help gameplay i think there should be final objectives. Maybe each month put up a Goal for all 3 factions like "control all objects on island x" then to whoever accomplishes this gets more experience points or some other bonus.

I feel that without defined objectives this game will turn into just one big never ending CS map... for some that might not be a problem, but for me getting a sense of accomplishment is kind of what is all about, ie. winning a map of CS or T2.

[Vis Armata]

Well, T2 and CS depend on real small-scale victory conditions (cap the flag 3 times; plant the bomb over and over again - rinse, repeat). I think that taking and keeping bases, locking down continents and attempting to open up other locked down areas will prove to be a larger scale than CS and Tribes offers. Anything larger scale than that might very be unattainable with the current game model.

I don't know if that helps, but it's my two cents.

[mikkyT]

I am a complete and utter newb to planetside and only started reading about the game until last night.

Welcome n00b

I have been VERY loosely following the game, but there has something that has come to my attention that I would like to see debated here and see what your guyz thoughts are about it. I'm sure this has been brought here before but i didnt see a thread so i thought i would start one.

Yeah its been touched upon before but no reason why we cant go over it in more detail...

The two sides are a never ending battle and a game that can be "won".

Cant be won I think you mean. ANd there are 3 sides

Currently Planetside is set in a persistant world in which there are small objectives of capturing buildings/land but in the end there is no "winner" as it is set to go back and forth litterally forever.

Correct. Youre only as good as your previous campaign. You might win, but then you have to defend what you have won, and you may lose it again.

My problem with this is having no end objective this kind of makes any victory you get no matter how big kind of futile cause you are probably bound to loose it sometime. In my opinion this will somewhat kill replayability for me and many others.

On the contray I think it will add to the playability. Remember there are 9 continents so you wont be fighting for the same land over and over again.

If you ever saw DAOC you will know they had many stats which could be accessed via the website and can be added to your own page via php.

Well, Planetside will have the same stats only much much more enhanced. I think this will add to the replay aspect no end, as people will want to have the best statisitcs (such as knife kills, peeps killed, etc) they will be very detailed.

Also your character development will play an important part. Your not just another player here, you have your own level with XP etc and this will add to the playability as people will want to develop their chosen career path.

To help gameplay i think there should be final objectives.

Like achieving a continental lock?

[quote] Maybe each month put up a Goal for all 3 factions like "control all objects on island x" then to whoever accomplishes this gets more experience points or some other bonus.
/quote]

Thats a continental lockdown

I feel that without defined objectives this game will turn into just one big never ending CS map... for some that might not be a problem, but for me getting a sense of accomplishment is kind of what is all about, ie. winning a map of CS or T2.

Its a hurdle for those with a fixed FPS mindset to overcome but its achieveable.

[Shryn]

Maybe outfits (empires? players?) should be awarded points of some sort for the amount of time they actually hold the facility. In Canal Zone, Scrummage, etc (TFC) you get your points not from capping a flag but holding the capture points. Would be interesting if there was some duration based (incremental) point system based on the period of time you can hold a given base.

Not high on my wish list, but an interesting thought.

[Filsinger]

i guess i'm coming at this game with a RISK mindset. Both games have multiple sides gaining world domination.

In RISK you can gain extra bonuses for achieving continental lock (more men per turn). I think that planetside should perhaps include bonuses for such achievements as well (other then controlling extra bases, exp gained from such a victory etc).

In the end someone usually does win in a game of RISK (unless you kill your friends in the process) and i guess having that ability not there in the game is disapointing to me.

[Seer]

I'll have to agree with the others here--the 'game should end' mindset is almost alien to me as a 4 year veteran of MMORPGs.

Persistence is a new dynamic for FPS gamers, and I imagine they'll either like it or not. Either way, enough will like it to make it a successful business model.

[Vis Armata]

Originally posted by Shryn
Maybe outfits (empires? players?) should be awarded points of some sort for the amount of time they actually hold the facility. In Canal Zone, Scrummage, etc (TFC) you get your points not from capping a flag but holding the capture points. Would be interesting if there was some duration based (incremental) point system based on the period of time you can hold a given base.

Not high on my wish list, but an interesting thought.

But the incentive to attack becomes less, because you'll get points for holding the base rather than capturing new bases. Not a bad idea, though.

[Filsinger]

im not saying that the game *MUST* end... im saying that an end objective whether it be small or large should be instituted.

[Airlift]

There are a million little end objectives

[Manitou]

Depends on how you define "end".

Lets say for instance that the Outfit I am in decides tonight's ops are going to include taking an Amp Station, a Biotech Lab, and a Technology plant on Hossin. (By tonight, I mean that loosely, because you probably won't accomplish that in one night ) Your team sets out bent on dominating the enemy that have already assumed control of those objectives. The battle is met, small and large skirmishes erupt, and the objectives you have set for your Outfit at the begining are either accomplished or not. Either way, by defeat or victory, an end is met when the battle for that objective is done.

The good thing is, the "end" that you ask about may be achieved over and over again in endless variations on different continents over separate bases against two different enemies wielding a myriad of weapons.

omg let me at it!

[simba]

yes thats one thing I hate about PS, no ending, like mikky says- archieving continent lock. But then the other empires can take it back so its not final.
Final objectives like going undercover at the sancuary of the other empires and like blowing up something so every1 at that empire dies or somethin like that, then u have a final objective. That would make it more fun 2 ME, not 2 u maybe.

[Filsinger]

i dont know... i would like to see something like capture as much land possible in x amount of time and then reset the map (but keep character levels the same).

I think it would be cool if they maybe even changed it up every once and a while.

Like have the object oriented games for a month or two, then switch to all out war for a couple months... etc.

[turqy]

OMG FILSINGER OF TRIBALWAR FAME?!?!??!

[Filsinger]

[Ruthless]

a final end would always mean good things to the winners and bad things to the losers, and could cause the losers to quit the game if its irrevocable